Dusk

Chapter VIII

Tuesday was unusually foggy, the mist, almost smoky, was ice cold and clung to every exposed surface. Dressed in a new oversized jumper with a cute bear on the front, Elias clicked through his messages on his phone.

Yesterday Alice had dropped him off at aunt Helena's home around nine with shopping bags in hand and a new number imputed in his phone. The pixie-like girl had torn through the department store and he'd ended up with a few new outfits under Alice's persuasion. Surprisingly, he'd ended up having a lot of fun, especially with Alice's continuous commentary carrying throughout the trip, and wouldn't even mind going another round--but only after he'd found a new job and didn't feel the bite of splurging money.

After he'd put his bags away, he'd heated up some left-overs and ate it beside his aunt who was watching the news and cleaning her gun. She only asked if he'd had fun, which he honestly replied that he had.

Alice: Hey Elias! Edward is taking Bella to school today. But don't worry, I have you covered. P.S. Bella confronted Edward yesterday :)

Elias blinked in surprise as he stood uncertainly on the front porch, wondering what Alice meant. Just then Elias could hear the distinct sound of a powerful engine revving a good few houses down, a Harley-Davidson pulling up a few moments later in the driveway with Jasper sitting astride it. The honey blonde was dressed in a thin white V-neck, a dark leather jacket, and black jeans, his long legs extended out as he sat there.

Elias froze, caught in Jasper's intense topaz gaze and not knowing what was happening.

It was only when his phone rang did he snap out of it. Looking away, Elias fumbled to answer, taking a deep breath and then regretting it when he smelt Jasper's distinct scent.

Calm down, he thought. You have control.

"Elias?" a crackling voice asked over the small speaker. "Hey, um, it's Bella. Sorry, I'm planning to catch a ride today with a...friend. Can you get someone to take you to school? Of course, if you can't, I don't mind picking you up."

Elias could hear the disappointment and hesitance in the last sentence, knowing that Bella wanted to ride with Edward.

"No," the shorter boy finally replied. "I have a...ride"

There was a sigh of relief through the speaker, before Bella promised to meet him later in English.

Closing his phone, Elias slowly made his way to Jasper who was patiently waiting, stopping some feet away.

"So, Alice?" he asked.

Jasper's lip quirked up even as he silently held out a navy blue helmet.

"And you guys know Bella knows?"

"Edward was...making it easy for her to guess," Jasper finally replied, some irritation flashing briefly past his eyes.

"And how does that make you feel?" Elias hesitantly asked.

"Our family has voted," the other male vaguely answered. "She makes Edward happy".

"Oh" Elias said as he recalled the bronze haired male who was hot and cold with Bella.

"How about me knowing? How does that make you feel?" the dark haired boy questioned, wondering if he'd be annoyed at his unintentional prying. Jasper, however, gave a small and unexpected crooked, private smile in amusement.

"We should go," Jasper stated instead of answering.

Clutching the helmet, Elias nodded, curious what that smile meant. It was then, as Elias blinked his thoughts away and stared at the empty space behind Jasper, that some realization dawned and he wanted to hit himself.

Right, I'd have to sit behind Jasper. Sit very close. Closer than I'd ever been. Basically, we'd be touching.

How stupid can I be?!

Elias didn't know why he hadn't thought about the obvious. Maybe it was just the continuous surprises the morning was throwing at him. Whilst his self-control has improved by leaps and bounds and he could now talk to Jasper without revealing anything, that was only if he kept some distance and didn't touch him. He'd avoided even brushing any part of his body against the other male.

"I c-can't" Elias blurted in mortification when he envisioned all the embarrassing things he'd end up doing--like purring and clinging to the taller male.

Immediately, even though Jasper's face didn't outwardly reveal anything, Elias could tell that the older male was closing himself off. For some reason, a pang ran through him and he felt the strong need to stop whatever was happening.

"No, wait, you don't understand!" he corrected while waving his hands in front of him. "It's...my condition".

"I understand," Jasper answered with a distant look in his eyes. "It's probably wise you listen to your instincts".

Elias frowned in bewilderment before he realized what the other male meant. He thought his instincts were telling him to run away instead of to run towards him.

"Just for today I can call Alice to pick you up. I'm sorry if we've been forcing ourselves on you Elias. You've shown your hesitance a few times when we met. Unfortunately, we hadn't thought about how you felt. Don't worry, we'll...fix this."

"Pardon?" he murmured confused as his mind flashed through all their previous interactions. Elias wouldn't deny that he had always been standoffish when Jasper and him met. But that was mainly because of his fear of his own reaction. The fear that they'd cause him harm had been addressed that day in the woods and even then it hadn't been a big part of why he continued to interact with reluctance.

Right now, Elias stood at a crossroads. He could let Jasper think that he didn't want to interact with them, and thus cut off all contact. He knew that Jasper would follow through with his promise of 'fixing' it and he'd never have to talk with them--Alice, Jasper--again. He'd only have to pass the school years with only catching whiffs of the other male, and he'd only have to deal with his own supernatural issues.

However...even though Elias didn't really know Jasper--not his personal story or anything beyond him being a vampire--he remembered Jasper's private smile. And if he was being truthful and looking deeper into himself, Elias didn't want to give up Jasper. It scared him, his curiosity for this boy who he didn't even know for long. He had tried denying it, refusing to address it and burying it away so deep he wouldn't have to take notice. It had worked somewhat. Until his desire to know more had reared its head just before Jacob revealed their secret (Elias still felt slightly guilty). He could have left at any time then but he didn't.

And once again he stood at a crossroads.

When it looked like Jasper was prepared to start his motorbike and drive off, Elias instinctively reached out to hold Jasper's hand.

That was probably his mistake.

*****

Authors note: Next chapter! Please drop in some votes and leave some comments! I get my energy to write from hearing back  <3